Stenella longirostris (Gray, 1828).

A relatively small marine mammal; this dolphin is 180-210 cm long and weighs 45-75 kg. This very variable animal is generally slender with a long, thin beak; the dorsal fin is curved; the flippers are large and pointed. The color is dark grey to black above, light grey to tan on the sides; the underparts are pale; a dark stripe runs from the flipper to the eye. The Spinner Dolphin inhabits both inshore waters and deeper waters out at sea. It is a nocturnal feeder; its food consists of squid and fish and it sometimes feeds at 25 m deep or more. It is easily recognized by the acrobatic spinning jumps that give it its name. The female matures at about 165-170 cm long, the gestation period is 10½ months and a single calf is born every two to three years. These social mammals may be seen in groups of up to 1000 individuals. They are found in the Egyptian waters of the Red Sea and are distributed in all warm tropical waters of the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans. They are severely threatened by the modern fishing methods and often get caught in the fishing nets and drowned.